The present invention relates to a playback-signal processing apparatus, for searching character information for a string of characters representing an address, and generating the address.
In recent years, a network comprising, for example, personal computers (“computer(s)”) owned by users, and servers connected to the personal computers by telephone lines, is becoming popular.
The user is capable of obtaining various kinds of information from a server employed in the network, by using the computer as a terminal of the network. The user activates, for example, web browser software displaying information on a display device, and enters a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into an “address box.” The user accesses the server specified by the URL, through paths on the network. The computer is thereby capable of receiving various kinds of information, such as, characters and pictures, transmitted by the server.
There is also known, an audio CD that allows character information to be recorded in a TOC (Table of Contents), in a lead-in area of the CD. This type of CD is known as a CD-TEXT. The character information added to the TOC is information, such as, the title of the disc, names of artists, and/or titles of pieces of music. By reading out such pieces of information from the audio CD and displaying them on a screen, information about the contents of the audio CD can be obtained.
An apparatus for playing back information from an audio CD can be connected to, or embedded in, a computer. Various processing by this type of apparatus, such as, playback and halt operations, can be controlled by the computer. In this case, the user carries out a variety of operations on, for example, operation screens generated by the computer and displayed on a monitor unit as a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
An operation screen shows, among other things, performance times of pieces of music, character information, such as, names of artists, and titles of pieces of music, and buttons to be operated by the user for carrying out various kinds of processing. What appear on the operation screen are all obtained from a TOC. If more information on the pieces of music and the artists is available in the network, a URL where the information can be found is recorded in the TOC as character information. Moreover, if it is possible to transmit an electronic mail to an artist, the mail address of the artist is also included in the TOC as character information.
In order to access a URL, however, it is necessary for the user to enter a string of characters representing the URL. In addition, when the browser software is not activated, an operation to invoke the browser software needs to be carried out.
Furthermore, in order to send electronic mail, it is necessary for the user to enter a string of characters representing a mail address, using mail-sending software, which is referred to hereafter simply as “a mailer.”
As described above, the user has to laboriously enter a string of characters to access the server, in spite of the fact that the string of characters is already recorded in the TOC. The user is further inconvenienced by having to search character information, stored in the TOC, for the string of characters representing the address, or by having to activate a browser.
In addition, when a user incorrectly enters a string of characters representing, for example, a URL, she incurs delay by having to re-enter the string.